Connection

Welcome, and thank you for joining me for this practice that is all about connection. So this is a slower practice. We'll move through some moon salutations and we'll look at a slow flow to restore. So we'll end with some stretching, getting into the hips, and just more grounded practice to kind of feel into that connection, the crown chakra, some of the emotions that are associated with the shadow side of the crown chakra are just feeling a bit of confusion or disconnected. And then as we look to the light, it is that connection with the divine, that feeling of being connected spiritually to whatever it is that you feel connected to.

So let's begin in child's pose. We'll start there. And if it feels okay, bring the knees together, let your hips sink back to your heels, and then take a moment to ground so you can reach your arms forward, or maybe take them behind you today, wrapping them back, and then just feeling the crown of the head, resting, the third eye, resting on the earth. Start to tune into just the natural rhythm of your breath. So noticing the inhale, the exhale without trying to change the breath, notice if it naturally begins, to deepen.

And as you take a moment here to pause, to notice, tuning into that sense of what do you feel connected to? You might wobble a little side to side. What does connection mean to you? Notice anything else that you're showing up to your practice with, allowing yourself to meet wherever you are, to meet yourself wherever you are in this moment, starting from that place. Good. And then take the hands behind you if they're not already there.

You hold on to your heels with your hands. And then just gently start to lift your hips and roll up onto the crown of your head if that feels okay or anywhere near there is great. Just, you know, feeling that sense of connection through the crown. Good. And then go ahead and hurry, release that. We'll walk our way into tabletop so making your way to all fours, shoulders over wrist, hips over knees, and then start to take this into some circles, some barrel rolls. So shifting the weight back, and then rounding it forward over the wrist, hips can come back toward the heels. And then you can start to come forward, taking some circles in either direction.

And then just noticing if there's any place that it feels good to pause and linger a little longer. Just gonna be awakening the body. What do you need to wake up? Connecting breath to movement. Beautiful. And then taking your time. Let's bring it into downward facing dog.

So tucking the toes, lifting hips up and back, and then bending through one knee, straightening the opposite leg. Pedaling it out through your feet, feeling into your legs. You swing your hips side to side. It's letting the crown of your head melt down. You can soften the knees if that feels good.

Your sitting bones reach up to the sky, allowing the spine to lengthen. Good. And then take your time to walk your feet slowly to the front of the mat. Coming into a forward fold and then put a nice big bend in your knees. So if it's accessible to you, just letting the torso drape down over your thighs, let the crown of your head melt down toward the earth, and then maybe hold on to opposite elbows. From here, you can let a little weight shift toward the balls of your feet, maybe sway a little side to side, shake your head, yes, and no a few times.

Good. And then take the opposite arm on top for a couple of breaths. Let everything melt down. Good. And then release your arms. Slowly roll out. One vertebra at a time. Letting the head. Be the last thing to arrive.

Let the head be heavy. And then come on up to a stand, take a moment to land, find your feet grounded on the earth, maybe draw your hands to heart center, check-in, SunCulpa, intention, clarity, connection. Breath. I'll move into some moon salutations as you're ready. Sweep your arms out and up. Allow a big full breath in.

And then bring prayer in front of your heart soften into your forward fold. From here, step your left foot to the back of the mat. Let your left knee lower down for low lunge. Sweep the arms forward and up on Jani Asana. Maybe gaze up.

And then exhale hands to the earth and step back for downward facing dog. Right foot meets the left. Good. From down dog, lower your knees. Your chin and your chest. And then glide your way forward into cobra, big full breath in, bhujangasana.

Exhale, press back through hands and knees, tuck your toes, downward facing dog. And float your left leg all the way up and back. Take a moment to bend your left knee. Open up through that left side. Beautiful. And then straightening left leg any amount.

Gaze forward. Big step through finding that low lunge again. Let the right knee lower. Sweet the arms forward and up big, full breath in. Good. And then exhale hands to the ground.

Step your right foot. To meet the left, come back to forward fold at the front of your mat and root to rise, inhale, arms sweep all the way up, and then draw your hands together in front of your heart. Connect with your breath. Good. And then we'll take that all to the second side. So as you're ready and how arms sweep up, exhale prayer in front of the heart forward fold.

This time, we'll step the right foot all the way to the back of the mat. Let the back knee lower. Inhale arms sweep up on Janie Asana. Next, he'll step back. Down dog.

Left foot meets the right. The lower knees chin and chest, and then glide through cobra, lift the heart shoulders away from the ears. Exhale. Press back through hands and knees. Tuck your toes for downward facing dog. Sweep the right leg.

All the way up and back. Take a moment to bend your knee. Open up through the right side. Breathe into the side body. Straighten your right leg.

Any amount. Big full breath in. Gaze forward. Step all the way through. Find your lunge. Let the left knee lower down. Inhale arms sweep up on Janjaniasana.

Exhale hands to the earth. Step your left foot to the front of the mat. Forward fold. And then rooting to rise inhale. Arms sweep up.

And exhale draw your hands to your heart. And let's take that one more time on each side. So letting this be a moving meditation in connection with the breath, inhale arm sweep up Exhale forward fold. Step the left foot back. Let the back knee lower. In how arms sweep up, low lunge on Jani Asana. Exhale hands to the earth, right foot steps back down dog, lower knees, chin, and chest, inhale wide into cobra.

Exhale step or press it back, downward facing dog. Staying with that left side, inhale sweep your left leg up, exhale step through. Right knee lowers, inhale arm sweep up gaze up. Exhale. Hands to the earth, step your right foot to meet the left forward fold.

Friend of the mat. Ruturize inhale arms sweep up, exhale draw hands to heart center. Good. 2nd side inhale arms sweep up. Exhale forward fold. Let it go.

Step your right foot back. Back me lowers. Gathering on your inhale. Releasing back to downward facing dog on your exhale. Lower knees, chin, and chest.

Inhale glide through cobra. Exhale, press back, downward facing dog. Inhale sweep the right leg up and back. Exhale step through. Left knee lowers. Inhale, on Jani Asana, low lunge.

Beautiful. And then step your left foot to meet the right forward fold front of the mat. Root to rise, arm sweep up, and exhale. Take a moment, draw your hands to your heart, maybe one hand to heart, one hand to belly. Just notice where that movement lands. See if you can feel into the breath, your heartbeat, your intention.

Maybe there's a dedication in your practice today. Someone you'd like to send this practice to could use a little extra support. Gently blink your eyes open in house sweep your arms out and, dive forward. Uh-huh. We'll just step it back into downward facing dog. And then from here, lower your knees down to the earth, sit back on your heels for a moment.

And then we'll set up here for a headstand prep maybe headstand if you have that in your practice and you feel good about that. Otherwise, we'll just play with putting a little weight onto the crown of the head, just kind of pressing into that space. So take your time to bring your hands or forearms down to the earth and then interlacing your fingers, but tuck your pinky finger underneath so it's not smooshed. And then you're creating this little shelf for your head stand. Your hands are open so that you're supporting the back of your head. Gently tuck your chin and then bring the very top of the head down to the earth. So the crown of the head down.

And again, you're gently resting the palms of your hands in the back of your head, hug the elbows in, and then really press through the elbows. So start to draw your shoulders away from your ears. And you could stay right here. This might feel like enough. You might tuck your toes. Maybe start to lift your knees up off the earth. Keep pressing into your forearms.

Then you can start to walk the toes in towards you. Again, maybe this is where you stay. Maybe you start to press a little bit more weight into the forearms. You could draw one knee into your chest. And then the second knee into your chest, stay here, or start just straightening your legs up toward this guy, coming into headstand, if that's in your practice, or stopping anywhere along the way. Is feeling that pressure a bit on the crown, that connection, crown to earth.

Good. And then take your time to come on out of there. Landing in child's pose as a way to gently counterbalance, let that energy land, notice where it lands, breathing in, breathing out. Beautiful. And then take your time. Make your way back to downward facing dog, and we'll move into single pigeon So feel free to grab any props that you might like to support this.

Otherwise, sweep your right leg all the way up and back, and then start to draw your right knee towards your nose. Bring the shin behind your wrists. And just take a moment to settle your weight in and straightening through that back leg. Take a moment up at the top. So feeling into that right hip. And, again, you might Slide a block under that right hip, a blanket, something that feels nice for support, and then wait for that invitation to make your way forward. So you can start to walk your hands forward.

Maybe resting, head on something, reach the arms forward. And then if it feels okay, bring the ponds to face up. Just inviting in that connection. Notice where you feel this in your body, send the breath to any sensation. Create some space.

Softening inward. And maybe coming to the mantra, I am connected. Allowing just a few more breaths here on this side. Anchoring into the mantra or your breath, just this inhale, just this exhale. Beautiful, and then take your time.

No rush. Walk your hands back in toward you. We'll press to downward facing dog. Stepping the right foot back. You might take your right leg up to the sky, shake it out, or bend your knee.

Maybe pedal it out in downward facing dog. What do you need to release that side? In your own time when you're ready, sweep the left leg up. Draw your knee towards your nose, to bring the shin behind your wrists, and just noticing if this side feels a little different from the first side, most likely anything that you need, you could slide under that left tip. Do take a moment just up at the top to kinda settle in, sink in, feel the support of the earth.

I'm then listening inward that invitation to go a little deeper, Walk your hands forward. Sending breath to sensation. I am connected. Palm's face up, receiving energy, Anything you'd like to call in here and notice what's coming up for you in these postures? Any emotions? Allowing whatever it is to, to be there and know that it eventually shifts and transforms.

We can feel into wherever we are. Meet yourself there. A few more full deep breaths. Beautiful. And then take your time. Make your way out of that side.

Slowly, mindfully. Step back. Down dog. Maybe matching whatever you did on that first side here. You could shake the leg up to the sky. Feel the cracks in the body. Maybe pedal it out.

Good. And then meet me seated. So however you choose to arrive, might hop your feet forward, find your way into a seated position, bringing the soles of the feet together, let your knees open up wide holding onto your feet, maybe wiggle in a little bit. I'll get into the hips here in Badakanasana, start to reach the crown of your head forward. And then once you find that length in the spine, you feel like you've kind of met your edge, maybe tuck your chin and round into your forward fold. And you can gently use your elbows to press into the inner legs.

Breathe into your back body into this shape. Noticing how the shape evolves with time. Lowing a few more breaths? And then when you're ready, inhale, slowly come up, reach the legs out in front of you. Flex your feet sit up tall on your sitting bones, and then reach your arms up.

Big expansive breath in, and then leading with the crown of your head coming into your forward fold, Pashi Motanasana. Find some length in your spine here So you might even lift up out of the shape a little bit as you reach the crown forward, reach back through your sitting bones, feel that opening, the back body, Good. And then take your time inhale. Come all the way up and onto your back, but bring a block with you. As you come onto your back, and you can take a moment to hug your knees in, rock a little side to side massage through the low back. And then setting up for supported bridge, let the soles of the feet find the earth feeder about hips distance.

And then take your block any height. So you have the low, medium, or highest height. I'm gonna take it to the medium height. Lift the hips. Slide the block under your sacrum, the very low back. And then just let everything melt down.

So you feel that support beneath you. You can release into the support, bring your palms to face up on either side of your body. Invitation to close the eyes, going inward. Feel that nice opening in the front line of the body this time, letting the shoulders soften. Soften your eyes.

Relax your jaw. What might you release just a little bit more? Welcome to stay right here in supported bridge, or if it would feel good, start to draw the knees in toward your chest, You can take the legs straight up to the sky for supported shoulder stand. Feel that reverse flow of blood in the body, reverse flow of energy. And keep the palms facing up.

Feeling that connection through the palms of your hands, any sensations from the inside out. About 5 more breaths here. If you wanna lower your feet, you're welcome to do that at any time. Otherwise, enjoy the shape of this supportive inversion. All the benefits of going upside down in a supported way.

Beautiful. And then take your time, bending through the knees. Let the soles of the feet come down to the earth, and then take your block to the lowest height. So if it's not already there, just take it down. And then if it feels okay, stretch both legs long on your mat. This is just a nice opening for the psoas, front of the hips, can keep the palms to face up on either side of the body.

Natural rhythm of your breath. Feel that gentle opening. Nice. And then as you're ready, rebend your knees. Lift your hips just enough to slide the block out from underneath you. You can take it off to the side.

And then take just a moment with the knees bent Step your feet as wide as your mat. Let your knees knock into touch for supported, constructive rest. Rest your hands on your belly. Tune in. Good. And then from here, hug your right knee into your chest. Let your left leg go long on your mat.

Coming into a twist with your left hand, draw your right knee across the body, reach your right arm open to the right, maybe gaze over that right shoulder. Let me just find this detoxifying, release in your twist to let go, release. Softening a little bit more. Coming out of there when you're ready unravel. Reach your right leg long.

Hug your left knee into your chest. Give it a squeeze. Moving into the other side. Draw your left knee across the body with your right hand. Reach your left arm. Open to the left.

Gazing over the left shoulder. Or ring it out. Soften. Release. Coming out of there as you're ready.

Gathering both knees into your chest. You rock a little side to side or take happy baby. You can hold on to the feet, the ankles, the shins, maybe peace fingers to big toes, and rock a little. Or just find stillness in your center. Hug your knees back in and then stretch your legs long for Shavasana.

Suppose of release. Of integration and the ultimate pose of connecting. Take this time, the space for you to let go, to let be, and rest. Feel free to stay in this space as long as you'd like. Continuing to feel that connection.

Or when you're ready, invite some gentle movement back in. Organic movement. What feels good? Reach your arms up over your ears. Stretch through the entire body, allowing a big breath in. Exhale.

Release. Take your time to make your way. To seated. I'll find our seat, drawing hands together in Anjali Mudra, this Mudra of gratitude. Recognizing one thing you feel grateful for today, this moment, calling that in.

And thank you so much for sharing this practice. The light love and divine in me, greet's greet's and honors, the light love and divine in you. Namaste.